Study to show where La Crosse property taxpayers’ money goes

Findings may reveal taxpayers
could be in line to save

A study on the services that overlap between La Crosse city and county governments will be released to the city council today.

La Crosse mayor Tim Kabat plans to comment on the report later this morning but is very likely pleased that findings support his contention that city property taxpayers are footing more than their fair share of the bill for services like police, parks and libraries. 

Among the findings in the report is that taxpayers are paying the largest chunk of the cost of the sheriff’s department even though the city has its own police force. 

Also, while city taxpayers finance almost the entire La Crosse Public Library budget, nearly 20 percent of the usage comes from people living in the rest of the County.

By restructuring services, property taxpayers in the city could save nearly $400 on a median-priced home. 

The report was commissioned by the city and prepared by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.